Familiar face arrested in O.C. tagging

When authorities in July asked a judge for a court order to put a damper on the activities of 134 members of a Santa Ana street gang, Richard Quirino appeared in court wearing dress slacks and a tie. He told The Times he was unfairly included on the list by police who “think all bald-headed guys in my neighborhood are gang members.”

On Tuesday, Quirino, 19, was arrested for allegedly tagging the side of the Orange County district attorney’s office with the gang’s moniker.

The tagging occurred Oct. 13. The perpetrator didn’t wait until the dark of night, when the office was empty, to do his work. The tagger struck at 4:30 p.m. Police detained Quirino at the time.

The report was filed with the state attorney general so the district attorney’s office could avoid the appearance that it was prosecuting Quirino in retaliation for the comments he had made in court, Santa Ana Police Cmdr. Baltazar De La Riva said.

Quirino faces a felony vandalism charge, which carries a possible penalty of one year in jail.

Among the restrictions the judge imposed on Santa Nita gang members in July were a 10 p.m. curfew, no associating in public with known gang members, no drinking in public and no wearing gang attire.

The injunction applies to a “safe zone” of about two square miles.

The zone stretches roughly from McFadden Avenue north to Trask Avenue, bordered by Harbor Boulevard and the Santa Ana River.

When he had shown up in court to fight the injunction, Quirino dismissed the action as “a lot of drama.”

“I’m not a gang member. I’ve turned my life around. I graduated from high school and got my first job. I’m doing good,” Quirino told a Times reporter.

“My mom and I read the complaint they gave me, and I decided to show up this morning because I know I’ve done nothing wrong. I don’t have a reason for being afraid.”

garrett.therolf@latimes.com